Bengals can win AFC North by beating the Chiefs

The Cincinnati Bengals have finished in last place in the last two years, but they could win the division crown this week with a victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs are coming off a thorough dismantling of the Steelers, winning in Kansas City 36-10.

Actually beating the Chiefs will be a challenge, but the Bengals have taken down some good teams this year already.

Furthermore, a win with the Chiefs would mean that the number one seed in the conference is still in play.

With a win against the Chiefs, the Bengals would be the first 10-win team in the division this year. The only other team that can win 10 games is the Ravens.

Since the Browns are 7-8, and the Steelers are 7-7-1, they can only win nine games this season. So if the Bengals win 10 and the Ravens win 10, then the Bengals will win the division thanks to the two head-to-head wins against Baltimore this year.

If the Bengals fail to defeat the Chiefs, then they will have to beat the Browns in Week 18 in order to secure the division crown.

With a loss to the Chiefs and a win to the Browns, the Bengals will have 10 wins, and the same logic applies.

The worst-case scenario for the Bengals right now is a 9-8 record and third place in the division. The odds that the Bengals make the playoffs at 9-8 are slim, but not impossible.

The good news is that if the Bengals win one of the next two games, they’re in the playoffs. It would be nice if they could just do it this week to take the load off our minds.